Container fabricating machine



oct. 15, 1940.

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' comunas FAnIcATmeMAcams 4 1 friqd April 2 3, 1938 16 Sheets-sheet 15 www Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,211,784 i CONTAINER wimucii'r INGA MACHINE Racy D.

Bennett and Charles Z. Monroe, Detroit,

Mich., assignors to The American Paper Bottle Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 23, 1938, serial Nu. 203,934 31 claims. (c1. sas-44.1)

The present invention relates` to methods of and apparatus for fabricating paper containers.

In Patent 2,047,891 granted July 14, 1936, to Henry T, Scott is disclosed a paper container of the self-supporting type, well adapted for the packaging, transportation and dispensing of commodities in either solid or liquid form but particularly suited for use in packaging and vending liquids. This container is made of good quality, relatively stiff, paper and is of the self-supporting type. When coated interiorly, and preferably also ext-eriorly, with a suitable composition to prevent penetration of moisture into its fibrous walls, it has the capacity to retain liquids for long periods of time without weakening or bulging and is now widely used as bottle, having numerous advantages over the well-known glass bottle and als-o over paper containers of other types.

The container disclosed in the aforementioned patent is of tubular form and is rectangular in cross-section, having a flat bottom and a peaked top terminating in. a central transversely extending milltilply rib. The initial .step performed in the formation of the container is to cut from a paper sheet a flat blank of the 'desired shape and size. Either simultaneously with the cutting, or subsequently to cutting, as desired,

the blank is divided into a plurality of panels byl grooving or scoring the s'ame upon one face, the grooves or score lines being formed in that surn face of the blank which is to eventually become the outersurface of the container. the several panels may be folded relatively to each other into the form of the completed container, glue being applied to various areas to effect the permanent attachment -of these areas to other areas of the blank to enable the container to permanently maintain its shape.

The blanks may be formed into completed containers by a series of hand operations but of course it is to be preferred that this be done with the aid of automaticmachinery in order that the cost of container production be minimized and uniformity of product secured. An automatic machine for receiving and acting upon blanks of ther-aforementioned type, relatively folding the panels, glueing the bottom panels, coating it exteriorly and interiorly with-a leak-proofing com-v position, charging it with a liquid, and closing and sealing the same, has heretofore been devised, this complete machine comprising a. plurality of mechanism for .performing the necessary operations in the desired sequence, blanks being supplied by an attendant to this machine at one a milk container or i tageous results may Thereafter the form in which point. andl the completed and filled containers being delivered at another, no hand operation intervening. Prior to the introduction of the blanks into the machine each is doubled upon itself and its overlapping ends are secured together 5 by an adhesive, the flat blanks being thus made into the form of collapsed tubes,

The unit of the automatic machine which rst acts upon the collapsed tubular blank functions to square the blank or render it truly tubular in 10 form and of rectangular cross-section and to then inwardly fold its bottom flaps, of which there are four, after the application of glue to certain areas thereof, so that a multi-ply durable bottom is formed, after which the container thus partially completed is delivered-to a second unit where it is coated both inside and outside, the charging opening of the container of course having not been previously closed.

The present invention relates particularly to the blank squaring and bottom forming unit of the complete-machine and its object is to provide an improved blank squaring and bottom closing mechanism whereby collapsed tubular blanks can be more rapidly and efficiently squared and a more precisely fashioned, partially formed container, ready for charging, obtained. The invention likewise contemplates the provision of a novel method to be followed in squaring the collapsed tubular blanks, whereby the most advanbe obtained. Both method and apparatus will `be hereinafter described in detail, a preferredform of the apparatus being illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, the drawings also including various views showing the blank which is to be acted upon by the apparatus and the container in various stages of completion.

In the drawings: f

Figure 1 is a plan which has been cut view of a flat paper blank to the desired form and scored;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank after it has been doubled and its ends secured together by an adhesive, this ligure showing the blank in it is supplied to the machine and which-is hereinafter stated to be in collapsed tubular form; y

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an illustration., upon an enlarged 50 scale, o f the central portion of the blank as shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View in which the collapsed tubular blank is indicated in full lines in the condition in which it isreceived by the" squaring unitand in dotted lines in various of the successive positions which it is caused to occupy while the squaring operation is being performed;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the partially nished container, after having been squared and made ready for the bottom folding and sealing operation;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the blank feeding, squaring, bottom folding and glueing unit;

Figure 8 is an end elevation of this unit;

Figure 9 is a side elevation ofthe same, partially broken away;

Figure 10 is a section on line lil-i3 of Figure 9,'

Figure 1l is a longitudinal Vertical section 'through the center of 'the unit;

Figure 12 is a section on line i12-l2 of Figure 7;

Figures 13, 14 and 15 are sections on lines iii-i3, ill-ill and l-i respectively, of Figure 12;

Figure 16 is a section on line i-HS of Figure 12;

Figure 17 is a section taken approximately on line i'i-li of Figure 31, additional parts above the plane of section l'i-ll, however, being also shown in order to illustrate the cooperative relationship of parts in dierent horizontal pla-nes;

Figures 18 and 19 are rear and side elevations of portion of a pusher device which is employed to advance partially completed containers;

Figure 20 is a plan view of portion of the container blank squaring mechanism and the means for actuating the same, the collapsed blank being indicated in chain lines;

Figure 21 is a generally similar view, certain parts being omitted, but the essential blank squaring elements being shown and in positions different from those which they are shown to occupy in Figure 20, the blank in this view also shown in chain lines;

Figure 22 is essentially similar to Figure 21 showing the blank squaring elements in a third position, and the blank in a corresponding position;

Figure 23 is a similar view showing the blank squaring elem-ents and the blank in their nal positions;

Figure 24 is a section on line ure 11,'

Figure 25 is a side elevation of one of the blank squaring members, also showing portion of the means for actuating the same;

Figure 26 is a section o'n line 26-26 of Figure 12;

Figure 27 is a section ure 26;

Figure 28 isa section ure 26 Figure 28o, is a plan operating mechanism;

- Figure 28h is a developed view of another cam;

Figure 29 is a section through a valve, taken on line 29-29 of Figure 16; Y

Figure 30 is a partial section, taken on line 30-30 of Figure 29;

Figure 31 is a section on line 3l--3l of Figure 7 Figure 32 is a. partial section along line 3|-3I of Figure 7, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 33 shows in blank with two bottom flaps folded into nal position 'and two others just prior to folding;

z-za of Figon line 2*'1-21 of Figon line 28---23V of vFigview of a cam and its perspective the squared amarsi Figure 34 is a similar View showing a'third bottom ap folded into i'lnal position;

Figure 35 shows the squared blank with all bottom iiaps folded and secured, the partially formed container shown in Figure 35 being the finished product of the apparatus comprising the present invention;

Figure 36 is a horizontal section taken through the chute through which the squared blank is passed to the bottom folding mechanism, showing in plan portion of this bottom folding mechanism;

Figure 37 is a section online of Figure 36;

Figure 38 is a section on line ure 38;

Figure 39 a side elevation of that portion of the mechanism which is shown in section in Figure 3S;

Figure .40 shows in side elevation and on an enlarged scale the bottom closing and sealing portion of the mechanism;

Figure 4l shows in side elevation a portion of the driving mechanism for the several operating parts of the unit;

Figure 42 shows in developed plan (with central portion omitted) certain elements of the bottom closing and sealing mechanism and the camming means for eiiecting movements of these elements in the operation of the unit;

Figures 43 and 44 are additional side elevations of the camming member shown in Figure 41, this member being illustrated in diifercnt positions;

Figure 45 is a vertical section taken through portion of the mechanism for applying liquid adhesive to the bottom flaps of the squared container just prior to closing of the bottom, this section being taken on line {i5-45 of Figure 46;

Figure 46 is another section through this adhesive distributing mechanism, taken on line i6-46 of Figure 45.

The collapsed tubular paper blank which the machine, now to be described, is intended to receive at its input end is shown in plan in Figure 2 and the partially completed container which is the product of the machine is shown in perspective in Figure 35, it being the function oi the machine, as has previously been pointed out, to square out blanks of the type shown in Figure 2 and to fold and secure the bottom iiaps thereof, no operations being performed upon the top of the container, which is subsequently to be closed and sealed by other mean The original blank as cut from a larger, and scored, sheet is shown in Figure 1 in a fiat or developed form. It comprises a plurality of panels and intermediate scored portions, the rectangular panels a, b, c and d eventually becoming the side Wall panels of the finished container and the rectangular flaps f, g, h and lc comprising the bottom aps which, when folded and secured together, form a three-ply bottom. The scored portions of the container are indicated in dotted 1in-es, the scorings Z, n and o dening the edges of the side wall panels a, b, c and d and the scoring l also defining one edge of the end iiap e, which ap overlaps, in part, the panel d when the blank is folded to form the collapsed 558-33 of Figtube shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The scoring p, q, r and s divide the panels from the bottom flaps and the aligned scorings w-w constitute the line of demarcation between Athe side wall panels a, b, c and d and the various panels which together comprise the foldable container top, this foldable top portion being indi- CTI the interior of the completed container,

. lapsed tubular blank cated in its entirety by the letter T. All of the scorings are impressed in that surface of the -blank which is to eventually be the outside surface of the container so that it is clear that when the blank is squared, the ribs formed on one surface of the blank by the scoring operation will be within the container. At least the scorings I, m, 1L and o are formed in that face of the blank which is eventually to form the outside surface of the container in order that there may be within at vthe corners'thereof, small longitudinal ribs or fillets instead of sharp right angles. It is found that a container so formed retains coating material applied interiorly thereto more satisfactorily than it will Where the scorings are impressed in that surface of the blank which is ultimately to become the inside surface of the container. The

side panels a, b, c and d are always of equal length but vary in length in containers of dier ent capacities. The blank shown is for a quart size container. If a pint or half pint container is to be made, the blank is cut with correspondingly shorter panels. The machine is so constructed that it will receive, square out and secure the bottoms of blanks of various sizes in the fabrication of containers of different capacities. The top and bottom flaps remain the same for all sizes of blanks After the blank shown in Figure 1 has been folded and the flap e attached to panel d the colthus formedis, in crosssection, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, with the inwardly projecting scored portion l in contact, or substantial contact, with the scored portion n. In this form the blankI may be readily packed for shipment from its point of manufacture to the point at which it is to be squared and used In Figure 5 of the drawings a collapsed tubular blank of the type just described is indicated in V'hereinafter to be described is provided for actuating the suction deviceG' in such manner that it may be moved from the position in which it is shown in full lines succesively to the various positions in which it is indicated in dotted lines. While the blank is thus held between gripping or suction devices G the suction device G' is given an initial movement to the right, along an arc centered upon a vertical axis passing through the midpoint of panel b, which is the panel which is grasped and supported by the suction device G.

to the Arcuate movement of suction device G' right brings this device into contact with the .panel d, the position of such a device G' at the time of contact with panel d being indicated by the legend "Position I in Figure 5. Movement of the suction device G', however', is not halted at this point but is continued until it has moved through Position II to Position III, pushing panels d and c ahead of it and flexing the score lines n and o. It may be mentioned =that the panel b is supported by means (which is not illustrated in Figure 5) in addition to the suction device G, during this folding operation, so that the folding will unquestionably occur along side panel of the blankwhich is v180" removed angularly-from Position I. During all of this time panel d, opposed vtopanel,

o and not elsewhere, and it b, is securely grippedfand-held by the suction device G so that .this panel willsuccessively occupy the positions in which it is shown in dotted lines. Likewise the panels a and c will swing through theangular positions indicated in dotted lines, the blank maintaining its parallelogram form in cross-section during all positions intermediatePositions I and VII. y

@After suction device G' has reached Position VH its direction of motion, is again reversed and it moves in' a clockwise direction back to its nal position, which corresponds to Position V, where its movement is halted. Obviously during the movement of the blank through the various positions which have just been described the scored portions intermediate' the sidewall panels, which portions hingedly connect the panels, are all reversely flexed and after the series of movements -have been completed the collapsed blank may be said to have been squared since, by reason of the exure of the hinge or scoredl portions, the fibers comprising these portions have been so worked that the blank as a whole, after'being released by the suction devices G and G', will maintain its square or rectangular configuration or at least will closely approximate this configuration. It is then ready to be passed on to the bottom closing portion of the mechanism, at least after a single further operation has been performed,i. e.,`the downward deflection of; the minor bottom iiap g from its original position in the plane of the side panel b to the position in which it is shown in Figure 6. The mechanism for feeding blanks to the machine, squaring these blanks in the manner indicated, and downwardly folding the minor end flap g, is illustrated in the first thirty-one gures of the drawings and this mechanism will now be described in detail.

All parts of the complete unit are of course suitably supported upon a frame and this frame may be of any desired type or construction. It Will not be described in detail other than to say that its principal elements comprise the parallel side members indicated at I0 and I I in the drawings.V The side members are connected at various poirrts by webs; plates and rods, and certain of the rotating shafts comprising elements of the mechanism have their ends supported in bearings mounted in the side members.`

A driving motor is indicated at I2 and this motor drives the. main longitudinally extending drive shaft I3 through speed reduction and power transmission mechanism enclosed within the casing I4. Superposed upon casing I4 is a smaller casing I5 within whichis means for connecting the drive or power shafts I3 to the hand crank I6 to permit manual operation of shaft I3 when the motor is inoperative. The shaft I3 extends longitudinally of the machine and' serves to drive a number of actuating cams from which power for the operation of numerous of the operating parts ofthe mechanism is taken,'the driving connection between shaft I 3 and these cams being shown in Figure l41.

In Figure 7 the suction devices G and G previously referred to are shown, a blank being engaged by the suction device G. There are four such suction devices, of which three may be seen in this View, being angularly disposed at angles of 90 with respect to each other and projecting, respectively, from the four wings of a rotatable turret which is generally indicated at l'l. The suction device G is mounted upon a blank squaring member indicated at i8. A chute is generally indicated'at i9, this chute extending vertically downwardly toward the container bottom folding and glueing mechanism, which cannot be seen in Figure 7. Each blank is acted upon and squared at a point diametrically opposite the chute, i. e., upon the opposite side of the turret ll and, after the squaring operation has been completedv the squared blank is moved in a clockwise direction by the turret and into the upper end of the chute 59 down which it is moved to be further operated upon bythe bottom folding mechanism.

A supply of blanks is maintained in a magazine which is generally indicated at 2U and in the operation of the squaring mechanism individual blanks are removed successively from the pack of blanks in the magazine, squared, presented to a are removed singly from the inner e'nd of the pack. This magazine will first be described in detail, being shown in Figures 9, l and 12.

A pack of collapsed tubular blanks is indicated at 2i in Figure 12, these blanks being disposed in parallel relationship with adjacent faces in being inverted, the bottom being uppermost. 1s laterally conned between parallel The details of the pusher P are shown in Figure 12, this pusher having a centralportion which projects' downwardly through the slot in bottom plate 23 and portions to either side of this central portion which rest upon the upper surface of the bottom plate to either side of its central slot. The pusher includes a latch bolt 24 normally presseddownwardly by a spring 25 and which may be raised by means of a bifurcated lifting arm 26, the parallel portions of which engage downwardly facing shoulders formed on latch bolt 24 by cutting away or recessing this latch bolt upon opposite sides, lifting arm 26 having the end thereof remote from the latch bolt Xed upon a shaft 2l rotatably supported by the pusher, the shaft 27 and the arm 2B being adapted to be rotated by an operator when the operating handle 28 is rotated. A catch for receiving and holding the lower end of latch bolt 24 is indicated at 29 and when the pusher is drawn rearwardly (to the left Figure l2) the lower end of the latch bolt -will ride upwardly over the inclined end of this catch and thereafter move downwardly into the notch 29 so as to be automatically locked in this position. The pusher will of course be released for forward movement when the operator lifts latch 2E by rotating handle 28.

To the lower end of the pusher, i. e-, the portion which projects downwardly through the slot in plate 23, is attached the end of a chain 30, this chain pas-sing over a guide roller 3l l and thence downwardly and around a pulley 32, the end of the chain being permanently secured to' Bil descends suificiently far, cause agrave@ the frame by the securing device 33 shown in Figure l0. Suspended from the pulley 32, which is ofcourse wholly supported by the chain 39, is a rod Bil which passes through aligned cylindrical apertures formed in four superposed weighting elements indicated at 35, 3b, 3'! and 38, respectively, an abutment nut 39 and adjusting nut lil being threaded on the lower end of rod Sil. The weights just referred to are slotted upon opposite sides to receive the vertically disposed plates lll. The slots formed in the several weighting elements are, measured horizontally, of varying depths and, as will be perceived from an inspection of Figure 9, the parallel plates gli are stepped, each plate 'having three steps or ledges, these steps being arranged in pairs and being indicated at Lll', SH2 and 413, respectively. The slots formed in the uppermost weighting element 35 are comparatively shallow and, as rod 311 descends, this element will come to rest upon shoulders M3. element 36 are slightly deeper so that this element will pass shoulders H3 but will, if rod weight 38 to strike shoulders H2 and be intercepted thereby. The third weight 31 will be intercepted by shoulders lll but the lowermost weight 38 can descend still further. Hence as rod 34 descends, the upper three weights are successively intercepted and the load imposed upon this rod and the chain 30 is successively decreased so that the pusher 2l will beurged in blank feeding direction with a force which decreases as the pack of blanks in advance of the pusher decreases in extent. It will be appreciated that, due to the frictional engagement of the pack of blankswith the sides and bottoms of the magazine, the resistance to forward motion oifered by this pack is substantially in proportion to the number ci blanks which it contains. The latching mechanism described is for the convenience of the operator in placing a fresh load of blanks in the magazine. When blanks are to be added to the pack the operator will retract and latch the pusher and maintain pressure against the remaining blanks of the pack with one hand while adding blanks with the other. After the magazine has been charged the operator removes his hand from the pack and again renders the pusher operative.

As may be observed in Figure 16, the side rails of the magazine are provided with small inturned flanges 22 and the small collapsed blank of the pack comes to rest with its edges abutting flanges 22', its forward movement being thus halted. When so positioned the innermost blank may be engaged by one or other of the suction devices carried by the turret and may be withdrawn by such suction device when the suction device is retracted, the edgespf the blank snapping past the anges 22 of the magazine. A downwardly projecting blade-like member, indicated at 45, and which is supported upon a standard 46 to one side of the 'magazine is positioned to engage the major bottom aps h of the blanks which pass it in succession for the purpose of slightly deflecting these bottom flaps and disengaging their edges from the adjacent edges of the major bottom flaps f to facilitate the removal of single blanks from the pack.

The rota-table turret previously referred to comprises essentially a central frame 60 and four wing members 6| indicated, these wing members being hollow boxlike members the inner edges of which are Vrigidof identical construction, each' The slots formed in the weighting 

